Core Heart
by DarkHero12
Summary: After spending her whole life being called her mother's "Miracle Baby" Serena finally discovers just how special she is. Rated T for violence. I don't own Pokemon yada yada yada.


**AN: **So yes, for those of you who read my story "Serena's Tale" this is that new one I was talking about. I got inspiration from "United Destinies: The Hero and the Hybrid" by Hybrid of Fate, though there will be several differences, especially as we go later on into the story.

"Speech"

'Pokespeech'

'_Thought'_

"_Telepathy"_

* * *

_-Prologue: Miracle Baby-_

Grace Yvonne was heartbroken, and she had every right to be. She held her newborn baby girl in her arms. Most mothers would be overflowing with joy, but most mothers weren't burdened with the knowledge that their child wouldn't last the night. The doctors had informed her that her daughter's heart hadn't formed properly, and she had only a few hours to live. Grace had named the girl Serena, a name that she and her husband had agreed to ahead of time. Grace's husband, however, wasn't here. He had died in a tragic car accident just a few weeks ago, and now it looked like Grace was going to lose her daughter too. She sobbed and held a sleeping Serena close to her chest, praying that someone, anyone, would save her daughter.

* * *

The Zygarde Core, or Z1 as it was called, was on the run once again. It wasn't the first time these particular humans sought to misuse its power. This time Z1 had escaped to Vaniville Town, a small village not far from Lumiose City. Z1 was just outside the Vaniville Hospital, which was a small building in comparison to most others of its kind, just two stories tall.

Z1 heard sobbing coming from the nearest window. Curious, Z1 peered inside and saw an adult woman crying over a young baby, and it could see why. It could sense the child's life force draining, and it seemed the human machines could detect that as well. Z1 wished it could do something, but life and death had never been his specialty, that had always been Xerneas and Yveltal's territory.

Then an idea sprung to his head, perhaps there was something he could do, all the while avoiding his pursuers. With its unique ability to fuse with the Zygarde Cells, it was perhaps the only one who could pull it off. Z1 planned to fuse itself with the young child, which would sustain her with its life force while hiding Z1 from those who sought to misuse its power. It would be risky, as it had never been done before, but if it worked, Z1 would be safe for quite some time. The doctors would simply state that the girl's survival was a miracle and ask no further questions.

With this plan in its mind, Z1 merged with the baby girl. Its life force surged into her as Z1 settled right in the center of her chest, inside of her heart. The monitors gauging the girl's life force spiked as they picked up Z1's own life force. The girl's mother noticed instantly and called for a doctor. The response was quick in such a small hospital. The doctor rapidly checked the monitors, then his eyes widened in shock.

"Mrs. Yvonne," he began slowly, "your daughter..."

"She's..." The woman's voice faltered, "She's not already..." the word dead caught in her throat. The doctors had said that they would at least have a few hours together.

"No, no," the doctor quickly assured, "quite the opposite, in fact. Your daughter, she's going to be okay."

"W-what?" the woman managed.

"Your daughter's going to be okay," the doctor repeated.

The woman burst into tears of joy, "Thank you," she muttered to whoever had answered her prayer, "Thank you..."

"It's a miracle," the doctor said.

"Serena," the woman breathed softly, "my miracle baby."

_'So the girl's name is Serena,'_ Z1 thought, a pretty name, it had to say. Z1 was lucky to have found her. She was quite special and had quite the life ahead of her.

* * *

"Ow!"

Serena fell out of her bed, a sharp pain erupting in her forehead. She glared at the bedside table where, just as she had expected, a small red and white bird Pokémon sat innocently.

"Fletchling!" she shouted, "I've told you a thousand times not to wake me up like that!"

'Well if you actually woke up on time I wouldn't have to,' the bird retorted.

Serena simply hardened her glare. She had been able to understand Pokémon perfectly for as long as she could remember. She didn't know why, and neither did her mother.

"Go bother Mom," she told him as she crawled back in bed.

'Did you forget what day it is, Sleeping Beauty," he asked snarkily.

Serena threw a quick glance at her calendar, "It's April 1st," _'wait a second...'_ "It's April 1st!"

Serena jumped back out of bed. How could she forget?! Today was the day she could start her journey as a Pokémon Trainer! She hastily changed into her clothes and rushed over to her mirror to do her hair. Her reflection's brilliant green eyes stared back at her. Her mother wasn't sure where she got them, no one else in their family had them, but somehow Serena had been born with green eyes.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Serena finished fixing her horrible bedhead and ran down the stairs leading from her room to the kitchen and saw her mom finishing up breakfast.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," her mom teased, "your breakfast off of the counter."

Serena grabbed her breakfast off of the counter and tried to sneak out the door, but she was spotted.

"Where do you think you're going?" her mom said playfully, "were you really thinking of leaving without saying goodbye to your poor old mother."

Serena sighed. Her mother could be incredibly doting. She had also wanted her daughter to become a Ryhorn racer like herself, but Serena had, with great difficulty, convinced her to let her become a Pokémon Trainer.

After what seemed like an hour of hugging later, though, in reality, it was hardly even a minute later, Serena's mother said, "You are destined to do great things. You know why? Because you are-"

Because I'm your miracle baby," Serena interrupted," I know, you've told me the story like a thousand times."

That wasn't an exaggeration either. Over the ten years that Serena had been alive, her mother had told her how the doctors had said she wouldn't survive, but she had anyways, multiple times a week. Serena hadn't been keeping track of the exact number, but she figured it was well over a thousand.

I gotta go, Mom," Serena told her, "or I'll be late."

Her mother gave one last hug and out a small box, saying, "This was your father's. He wanted you to have them."

Serena had never known her father. He died before she was born, according to her mother. she knew it was childish, but Serena had resented her father for leaving her and Mom alone. She hated watching as other kids were picked up from school by two loving parents. She loved her mom, of course, but there had always been an empty feeling at home, one that would never truly be filled. But here and now, receiving a gift he had left for her, Serena only felt longing.

Serena hesitantly grabbed the box and opened it. Inside were two small stones, one slightly larger than the other. The smaller stone shone like a rainbow of colors, while the larger one was a murky blue.

"What are they?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," her mother shook her head, "He never told me."

Serena stared at the two stones, wondering what they could possibly be. Maybe Professor Sycamore would know. she would have to ask once she got to the lab. Speaking of, she needed to go, now.

"Bye Mom," she said, before beginning to walk down the road. She took one last look at the house that had been her home for the past ten years, then took off running towards the bus station that would bring her to the Professor's lab.

* * *

The ride had been pretty uneventful, but that had done nothing to dampen Serena's spirit. In just a few minutes she would be an official Pokémon Trainer. She could hardly wait. She wondered what her Pokémon would be like. She had already chosen what starter she would pick ahead of time, of course, but she knew that each Pokémon had a different personality, much like humans. What would her Pokémon be like? Would her Pokémon like her? What if they didn't like her, then what would she do? No, she couldn't think like that. She had to remain positive.

Once the bus had stopped at the lab, Serena raced off toward it. Inside the doors was a simple waiting room with a stairway in front of her and a few doors scattered along the walls. To her right was a reception desk with a young boy, looking only a few years older than her, with long black hair, sitting at it.

"Hello," he greeted politely, "Are you one of the new Trainers?" She nodded quickly and he continued, "Follow me then please."

The boy led her through the closest door on the right, heading into a much smaller room. Two other people were already inside said room, one a much older man that Serena assumed was Professor Sycamore, the other was a young girl Serena's age.

"Professor," the boy said, "another new Trainer has arrived."

"Thank you, Alain," the Professor said.

"Sorry I'm late Professor," Serena apologized.

"No need to apologize," the Professor told her, "there are still plenty of Pokémon to go around."

It hadn't always been that way though. It used to be that the Professors of each region would only have one of each starter, but after an incident in the Kanto region a year ago where there had been more new Trainers than starting Pokémon had caused the Leagues to introduce a law that said that the Professors needed to have spares of each Pokémon just in case.

"May I ask your name?" Professor Sycamore asked.

"My name is Serena," she answered.

"Well, Serena," the Professor greeted," as you probably already know, I am Professor Sycamore, and this is Shauna, another new Trainer starting out today."

"Hello," the other girl greeted cheerfully. Serena waved in return.

"So, Shauna, Serena, are you ready to become Pokémon Trainers?" Sycamore asked. When the two girls nodded firmly he continued, "Marvelous!" he grabbed two red, rectangular objects from a pocket in his lab coat and handed them to the girls, "These are your Pokedexes. They hold information on any Pokémon you might find. And here..." he gestured to three Pokéballs laying on a table, "are the Pokémon. Froakie, a Water Type; Fennekin, a Fire Type; and Chespin, a Grass Type. Do I need to give you some time to decide?"

"Nope," Shauna said, "I decided before I got here."

"Me too," Serena told the Professor.

"Well then, who would like to go first?" the Professor asked.

"You were here first," Serena told Shauna.

"Alright then," Shauna walked up to the Pokéballs, "I choose..." she grabbed the Pokéball furthest to the right, "Chespin!"

"And you, Serena?" Sycamore asked.

Serena walked up beside Shauna and said, "I choose Fennekin!" She grabbed the Pokéball in the center.

"Marvelous!" Professor Sycamore exclaimed, then he turned towards his assistant, "Alain if you would please bring these girls their starting equipment..." Alain nodded and stepped outside.

"Professor," Serena said, "there's one more thing I would like to ask you."

"Yes?" he asked curiously.

"Do you know what these are?" Serena brought out the box containing the two small stones.

"My word!" the Professor gasped, "my dear girl where did you get these?!"

"They were my father's," Serena answered, then repeated, "Do you know what they are?"

"What you have there are a Mega Stone and a Key Stone," he told her, "They can be used to achieve something called Mega Evolution, where a Pokémon that had previously thought to have already reached its final form evolves even further. The Pokémon holds the Mega Stone while the Trainer holds the Key Stone. Unlike regular evolution, however, a Mega Evolved Pokémon will revert back to its original form."

"Whoa," Serena breathed. She noticed Shauna's jaw drop in amazement. Were these tiny stones actually capable of what the Professor said? How did her father get them? How come he never told her mom? The next question she said aloud, "Do you know what Pokémon it's for?"

"Unfortunately, as of right now, there is no way of telling what Pokémon this is compatible with until you find that Pokémon," he shook his head, "Several Pokémon have been discovered to be able to Mega Evolve, and I'm inclined to believe we haven't found them all yet. Not many people have knowledge about Mega Evolution because the stones are quite rare and aren't likely to be found unless one looks for them. If you wish to learn more about Mega Evolution, I would suggest going to see Gurkinn, the Gym Leader of Shalor City. He knows more about the details than I."

"Well then let's go," Shauna proclaimed. Serena gave the other girl a questioning look. Shauna rubbed the back of her head, "Er, sorry, could I go with you? I want to know more about this Mega Evolution thing."

"Alright," Serena agreed. She had no reason to refuse Shauna's offer, and it would be nice to have another person to talk to on the road.

"Marvelous!" Professor Sycamore exclaimed, "and if you wouldn't mind, could you inform me if you ever discover what Pokémon your Mega Stone reacts to. I must admit that Mega Evolution has always been a personal interest of mine."

Serena nodded in acceptance as Alain reentered the room. He carried two bags in his arms, each holding Pokéballs, Berries, and Potions.

With everything settled at the lab, Serena and Shauna set off on the road to Shalor city, each growing ever more curious about Mega Evolution.

* * *

Z1 was surprised when it learned the girl now had a Mega Stone. It knew she was special, even before it had fused with her, and he guessed this proved it. It knew, of course, what the Mega and Key Stones were as soon as it saw them, though he didn't share this information with his host, who was still unaware of his presence. Doing so would alert the girl to their fusion, something Z1 didn't think she was quite ready for. She was a bit young to know that she what was practically a deity living inside of her.

Z1 had had a few close calls where Serena had almost discovered its presence when she was younger and he was still growing accustomed to their fusion. Communicating with the Zygarde Cells had grown exceptionally difficult to do without her noticing and it hadn't heard from Z2 in quite some time, though Z1 expected that Z2 was merely giving it the silent treatment. It likely would have heard if its fellow Zygarde Core had been caught.

Z1 spent most of the time in a subconscious state, neither awake nor asleep, simply existing, being the heart that pumped Serena's blood through her body. It did this to preserve its strength, in case of emergency. It did occasionally enter a conscious state though, on special occasions where it wished to be present. Z1 had grown attached to Serena. It perhaps saw itself as the girl's father, since she had lost her real father before she was even born. Z1 knew that it was foolish to think such things, but all the same, Serena held a special place in its heart. Just as it held a special, though significantly different, place in her own.

* * *

**AN: **Well that's the first chapter of Core Heart. For those of you who read "United Destinies" this will be significantly different than that story (if you can't already tell by the changes I've already made). I am not adopting that story, just taking some inspiration from it.

On another note, I am looking for someone to Beta this story for me please. I want this story to be the best it can be and it would be nice to have someone proof-read my stuff. What I would need the most of is making sure that people remain in character and that I don't forget some big plot point and totally contradict myself (though good grammar and spelling would definitely be welcome as well).

Anyways I hope you enjoyed this story so far, I certainly have enjoyed writing it. Some new things I'm adding to the AN's at he end of each chapter is a Word Count, which is pretty self-explanatory, though it will be only for the chapter itself, not the AN's.

Word Count: 2578

Keep it simple


End file.
